I'm trying to improve my drop shotting skills and have had some recent success which is encouraging. I use 10 lb test but would go lighter except for concern over so much unseen brush and other structure in our lakes. Seems like a trade off between lure action and getting broken off. My best luck has been with a very small bait. What do most use in Texas?

Depends on the body of water and structure for me... Rather it be docks, brush piles, or semi open water. Use anywhere from 6-20lb. Drop shorting is not just a fairy stick bite... Try pitching it like a t-rig.

For the finesse version of a drop shot, I would never use > than 8 lbs. fluoro. I can't imagine what the advantage would be with the small hooks and baits. I have mentioned it before, that Aaron Martens and other pros have mentioned dropping down from 8 to 6 to get more bites. Seems right to me.

But, I bought some bigger swivel drop shot hooks several months ago from local Rivera Tackle and though he doesn't show them on his website, he sells some of what he calls Falcon Rigs that are 4/0, 5/0, 6/0 and even 7/0s, and he put a pinch grip on the bottom of the swivel hook for me to then attach a separate sinker leader down to a sinker with its own pinch grip. It makes changing out or length adjustments a snap. And, drop the test down in size on this lower length of line (between the hook and the sinker) so that if your sinker gets stuck, it breaks off and not your hook.

Edit: With these big hooks and bigger sinkers, you'd want to use at least 10 or 12 pound test, I think. Power up everything.

So, the moral here is stay really finesse with 6/8 test line and 1/0, 1, 2 or even the small 4 hooks . . . or go really big.

For example a 4/0, a common hook for a T-Rig? Tie on one of his 4/0 swivel hooks with the cinch grip, T-Rig the bait, but put it on a 1' sinker leader with a bigger sinker to feel the bottom really well. Or, maybe a 30" leader down to the sinker to float it higher in the water column, you never know, or drag it like a Carolina Rig. One other thing would be to use a 3 or 4" line to the sinker so that the bait is hugging the bottom just like a standard T-Rig. But, you can snap it free if it gets snagged in rocks.

I haven't tried above the 4/0s yet, but on my next order I want to get some of the really big ones.